PVL Finals: Creamline draws first blood, disconnects Cignal in straight sets

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Creamline Cool Smashers proved why they are the league’s winningest franchise after pulling off a massive Game 1 sweep over the Cignal Super Spikers, 25-22, 25-18, 25-16, to get on the board first in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference grand finals on April 21, 2026, at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the win, the Cool Smashers moved a win away from capturing their sixth All-Filipino Conference championship and 11th overall title, including the Reinforced and Invitational conferences.

Despite entering the championship series without a single win against Cignal in their past two meetings, the Cool Smashers made the championship stage look like their own practice facility after getting almost everything they wanted.

Calm, composed, and bolstered by their signature team chemistry and in-court synergy, Creamline steamrolled its way through Game 1, handing Cignal its worst beating since getting schooled by the Nxled Chameleons on Feb. 14, 2026, in the PVL regular season.

However, it was not a walk in the park in the opening set after the Super Spikers completed a 3-0 run in the crucial stretch to pull within a point, 23-22.

Just when Cignal thought it could bank on Vanie Gandler’s personal heroics, Creamline had other plans, leaning on a Jema Galanza cross-court hit and Jeanette Panaga’s block to spoil the Super Spikers’ hopes of snatching the first set.

As soon as Creamline settled in after going up 1-0, the Rebisco-backed squad never looked back as it trounced the Super Spikers in the final two sets to turn the man-a-mano affair into a one-sided contest.

Cignal’s body language immediately sagged after Creamline stretched its biggest lead of the match to 12 points in the third set, closing out the 3-0 sweep in style after Jia Morado-De Guzman scored on a crafty 1-2 play, followed by Bernadeth Pons’ hammer down the line.

Spearheading Creamline’s Game 1 win was Galanza, who top-scored for the Pink Nation with 17 points on 16 successful attacks, alongside 13 excellent receptions and one block.

Pons remained consistent and picked up where she left off, backstopping Galanza with 11 markers, 15 excellent digs, and eight excellent receptions.

On the other hand, the Super Spikers struggled on the offensive end, converting only 38 of their 174 scoring attempts across the three sets.

Gandler still made her presence felt in the loss, leading the Super Spikers with 17 points, but her scoring partner, Erika Santos, was limited to just 10 markers built on nine attacks.

The Cool Smashers will look to finish the series and seal the 2-0 championship sweep over Cignal today in the last game of the scheduled doubleheader at Smart Araneta Coliseum.